Markets Head Higher in November – Equity Market Overview

Kent Forsey, CFP® Copper, COVID-19, Dow Jones, Equity Markets, S&P 500

Earnings are always the big wind behind the market direction, but there are other issues that help add to the narrative.  The combination of a finalized election, effective vaccine trials, and positive earnings from various sectors drove equity indices higher in November. Analysts expect upcoming additions to the S&P 500 Index to produce added volatility with the index, creating demand …

Global Markets Elevate

Kent Forsey, CFP® Equity Markets

Domestic equities finished November with gains not seen since the summer, took a brief pause and then continued their ascent as we approach the end of the year. Optimism surrounding U.S. – China trade discussions helped fuel equities higher, with technology, health care, and financials as the leading sectors in November. The absence of volatility, along with the Fed maintaining …

Global Equity Markets Decline in 2018

Kent Forsey, CFP® Equity Markets

January 2019 Trying to explain why the stock market is going up or down on any given day is an exercise best left to those writing news headlines who like to speculate.  As time passes and the dust clears, valuation of individual stocks and their markets they trade in become more a function of their actual and projected earnings. Volatility …

Stocks Enter a Trading Range – Equity Markets Update

Kent Forsey, CFP® Equity Markets, Stocks

It is hard to make sense of the recent stock market volatility.  Here are some important thoughts to consider. Markets rebounded in April as fundamental factors drove prices higher.  Among the factors influencing the markets were global expansion, positive domestic activity, increasing earnings, and capital spending increases. Stocks traded sideways, with the S&P 500 temporarily trading below its 200-day moving …

New Sector Joining S&P 500 Index – Equity Markets Update

Max Smith, CFP®, CIMA® | Kent Forsey, CFP® Equity Markets, Global Industry Classification Standard, REITs, S&P 500

For the first time since the launch of Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) in 1999, a new headline sector has been added to the S&P 500 Index.  Equity REITs was added as the 11th sector by MSCI and S&P Dow Jones as part of their annual index rebalancing on September 16, 2016.  This designation as a standalone class shows the …